Dielectric smart card protector sleeve

ABSTRACT

A smart card holder or passport holder has two sides sealed together at three edges to leave an interior space dimensioned and configured to hold a smart card or passport. The sides have multiple layers: a first layer of dielectric material which substantially covers entirety of both sides, a second layer of structural material to add strength, and a third layer of soft material which protects any magnetic stripe on a card or the like from the dielectric material. The sides may be sealed by means of RF welding in order to minimize gaps between the sides. In use, the device prevents unauthorized RF remote access to the smart card chip or passport chip.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever. 37 CFR 1.71(d).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

N/A

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to wallets, and specifically to creditcard/smart card holders.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH

This invention was not made under contract with an agency of the USGovernment, nor by any agency of the US Government.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Smart cards are credit card sized plastic cards containing embeddedintegrated circuitry. In general, smart cards are multiplying rapidly,with tens of millions in use in the US, hundreds of millions believed tobe in use in Europe and more spreading rapidly in other parts of theworld. For example, in Malaysia it is believed that there are already 20million smart cards in use. Normally, standard credit card sizes areused, such as ISO/IEC 7810 defines a standard size card (ID-1) as 85.6millimeters by 53.98 millimeters, or a bit more than 3 inches by 2inches or other popular sizes. Almost as important, the US governmentand other governments have begun issuing passports with similar chips inthem, as well as health insurance cards, driver's licenses and the like.

In general, the chips may be “contact only” types, or they may becontactless types, which offer greater convenience. The contactlesscards use RFID (radio frequency identification) technology: the circuiton the card/passport is a transponder which may receive energy from aradio transmission and then respond, usually at a throughput such as 100to 800 kbits per second and with a short range, usually a fewyards/meters.

Obviously, these parameters can define an enormous security issue, afact not lost on manufacturers and users. One response is to limitrange. ISO/IEC 14443 defines a maximum range of 10 centimeters (about 4inches) while ISO/IEC 15693 defines a longer range of about 50centimeters (about ½ yard). In use, unfortunately, the actual rangesvary from cards that won't even respond in contact to times when cardscan be accessed from a considerable range, in fact, from ranges whichmay make users unaware that they are even being targeted.

Another response has been encryption of the card information. DES, 3DES,RSA and other algorithms have been used for this, however, even withencryption, card content may still be vulnerable to a determined attack,and not all cards are actually encrypted as yet.

Normal card holders and passport folders do nothing to present suchremote access. In fact, one common sales feature of the cards is thatthey can make payments without even being removed from the user'shandbag or pocket. This is for the obvious reason that most commonmaterials for clothing and accessories are completely transparent toradio waves.

Various US patents attempt to address security in credit cards,particularly in reference to protecting magnetic stripes on creditcards. U.S. Pat. No. 6,121,544 to Petsinger on Sep. 19, 2000 shows asmart card protector, however, the structure of the device is a hardsided case which uses metal inserts, not soft films. In use, the devicewould be bulky and hard to retrofit to a wallet. U.S. Pat. No.7,163,152, Jan. 16, 2007 to Osborn, U.S. Pat. No. 6,845,863 to Riley onJan. 25, 2005, U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,610 Leblanc et al on Jul. 25, 1989,and U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,375 to Kamens et al on Aug. 24, 1999 all showvarious attempts to protect credit card magnetic stripes fromde-magnetization and the like, but not using structures which would besufficient to protect a smart card from illicit radio access.

Thus the references shown do not generally adequately deal with theissue of illicit access by means of a convenient structure for users.

Searching shows several other items not in patent publication record ofthe US PTO. Smartcardfocus.com, idstronghold.com, and cardsafeonline.comall teach sleeves for protecting cards from either RF or magneticinfluences. However, these sleeves are all apparently made of some sortof single layer, unattractive, opaque, fiber material. These productsalso serve only a single card with a single pocket and have no structureto cover the open end of the sleeve.

FIG. 3 is a PRIOR ART block diagram of a smart credit card showingauthorized and unauthorized access possibilities. Smart card 310 hasRFID capable chip 312, which may have thereon credit card numbers,passport vital information, actual electronic cash values, medicalinformation or the like. Now as legitimately used, an authorized RFdevice 314 such as a POS (point of sale) station may read the card withthe user's knowledge and consent, for example, when boarding a subway orthe like. Authorized RF access 316 would consist of broadcasting radiofrequency energy and inquiry to the card, which would then “power up”,identify the query as legitimate (if the card has security featuresbuilt in), and respond, also by RF.

However, illicit/furtive RF device 318 may be further away or disposedin a concealed manner, and it might also engage in illicit/furtive RFaccess 320, which would, from the perspective of the smart card, followthe exact same sequence: reception of RF energy and signal, securitycheck (if any) and response. This could result in considerable lose ofprivacy or currency by the unwitting card “user”.

FIG. 4 is a PRIOR ART side view of a limited use of a “window” ofmaterial in a credit card holder. Credit card holder 422 is designed toprotect a credit card magnetic stripe by means of a window 424 ofrefractory material over the magnetic stripe. If the dielectric or RFrefractory window 424 is transparent in the visible spectrum of light,then the device body must be non-transparent in order to protect thecredit card numbers and name printed on the side of the card elsewhere,resulting in the “window” configuration shown.

Unfortunately, the choice of either refractory window 424 or visibleblocking material means that only that which is directly under thewindow will be protected. Looking at the smart card of FIG. 3, it willbe seen that the IC circuit of that card would not be positioned so asto be protected by the material of window 424.

The card is also weakened by the window section.

It would be preferable to provide a device not having thesedeficiencies.

It would be preferable to provide a device which can protect a card fromRF access at all angles and regardless of the location of the IC chip onthe card.

Finally, it would be preferable to provide a device which is simple tomanufacture and low cost to produce in quantity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

General Summary

The smart card holder or passport holder of the invention has two sidessealed together at three edges to leave an interior space dimensionedand configured to hold either a smart card or passport. The RF blockingmaterial of the invention may be flexible and transparent film sputteredwith silver or indium metal, and the sides may have multiple layers, forexample, a first layer of dielectric material which substantially coversof both sides and a second layer of structural or decorative material toadd strength or a tidy appearance. Either material might be on theoutside of the card or inside, although in the case of decorativematerial, placing outside of the dielectric material is obviouslypreferable. An optional third layer of soft material might protect anymagnetic stripe on a card or the like from the dielectric material, ormay protect the IC chip from direct contact with the dielectric materialor may merely protect the appearance of the card.

Flaps on the device may cover the open edge of the body, so that thereis no route for RF waves to penetrate, unlike reference designs withopen ends, and the device may be manufactured with a “book”configuration having multiple pages, each page being one card holder andthe front and back covers being flaps either for covering the edges ofthe front or back holders or for insertion into a typical slot in awallet or purse, by which means a normal wallet or purse may beretrofitted to securely hold multiple smart cards with complete RFsecurity.

The sides may be sealed at the edges by means of RF welding or othersecure methods in order to minimize gaps between the sides.

In use, the device prevents unauthorized RF remote-access to the smartcard chip or passport chip.

Summary in Reference to Claims

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention, in addition to those discussed previously, to provide asmart card holder comprising:

-   -   a body dimensioned and configured to hold a standard size smart        card in an interior space, the body having first and second        sides having rectangular planforms and four edges, the first and        second sides joined at a plurality of the edges;    -   the first and second sides having first and second layers of        material, the first layer being a flexible transparent        dielectric material covering substantially the entire        rectangular planform of each side.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention, in addition to those discussed previously, to provide asmart card holder wherein the second layer is a decorative material andthe first layer is disposed adjacent the interior space.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention, in addition to those discussed previously, to provide asmart card holder wherein the second layer is a strong structuralmaterial and the first layer is disposed adjacent the interior space.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a smart card holder further comprising a thirdlayer of material, wherein the third layer is a soft material and thethird layer is disposed adjacent the interior space.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a smart card holder wherein the first andsecond layers are joined at a plurality of edges by RF welding.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a smart card holder wherein the first layer isa 5 mil thickness of a plastic film sputter sprayed with silver andindium.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a smart card holder wherein the first andsecond sides are joined at three edges.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a smart card holder wherein the body isapproximately 3.5 inches by 2.25 inches.

It is therefore yet another aspect, advantage, objective and embodimentof the invention to provide a passport holder comprising:

-   -   a body dimensioned and configured to hold a standard size        passport in an interior space, the body having first and second        sides having rectangular planforms and four edges, the first and        second sides joined at a plurality of the edges;    -   the first and second sides having first and second layers of        material, the first layer being a flexible transparent        dielectric material covering substantially the entire        rectangular planform of each side.

It is therefore yet another aspect, advantage, objective and embodimentof the invention to provide a passport holder wherein the second layeris a decorative material and the first layer is disposed adjacent theinterior space.

It is therefore yet another aspect, advantage, objective and embodimentof the invention to provide a passport holder wherein the second layeris a strong structural material and the first layer is disposed adjacentthe interior space.

It is therefore yet another aspect, advantage, objective and embodimentof the invention to provide a passport holder further comprising a thirdlayer of material, wherein the third layer is a soft material and thethird layer is disposed adjacent the interior space.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a passport holder wherein the first and secondlayers are joined at a plurality of edges by RF welding.

It is therefore yet another aspect, advantage, objective and embodimentof the invention to provide a passport holder wherein the first layer isa 5 mil thickness of a plastic film sputter sprayed with silver andindium.

It is therefore yet another aspect, advantage, objective and embodimentof the invention to provide a passport holder wherein the first andsecond sides are joined at three edges.

It is therefore yet another aspect, advantage, objective and embodimentof the invention to provide a passport holder wherein the body isapproximately 5 inches by 3.5 inches.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a smart card holder for use with a wallethaving a pocket, the holder comprising:

-   -   at least one page dimensioned and configured to hold a standard        size smart card in an interior pocket, the page having first and        second sides having rectangular planforms and four edges, the        first and second sides joined at a plurality of the edges and        having at least one unjoined edge;    -   the first and second sides having first layers of flexible        transparent dielectric material covering substantially the        entire rectangular planform of each side; and    -   an insert portion attached to the page, the insert portion        dimensioned and configured to be inserted into such wallet        pocket.

It is therefore yet another aspect, advantage, objective and embodimentof the invention to provide a smart card holder further comprising:

-   -   at least a second page dimensioned and configured to hold a        standard size smart card in an interior pocket, the second page        having first and second sides having rectangular planforms and        four edges, the first and second sides joined at a plurality of        the edges;    -   the first and second sides having first layers of flexible        dielectric material covering substantially the entire        rectangular planform of each side, the second page attached to        the first page.

It is therefore yet another aspect, advantage, objective and embodimentof the invention to provide a smart card holder further comprising:

-   -   a cover sheet attached to the first page, the cover sheet having        a first layer of flexible dielectric material, the cover sheet        disposed so as to cover the unjoined edge of the first page.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the device,showing dual layers of material and RF-bonding of the sides.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a second embodiment of the device, showing atriple layered construction.

FIG. 3 is a PRIOR ART block diagram of a smart credit card showingauthorized and unauthorized access possibilities.

FIG. 4 is a PRIOR ART side view of a limited use of a “window” ofmaterial in a credit card holder.

FIG. 5 is a frontal perspective view of a preferred embodiment of theinvention which may easily be retrofitted to most wallets and whichcould be used to hold multiple smart cards.

INDEX TO REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   100 Smart card holder-   102 Interior space-   104 First structural or decorative layer-   106 Transparent dielectric layer-   108 RF weld of layers to form holder-   200 Smart card holder-   204 First structural or decorative layer-   206 Transparent dielectric layer-   208 Second structural layer-   310 Smart card-   312 RF chip-   314 Authorized RF device-   316 Authorized RF access-   318 Illicit/furtive RF device-   320 Illicit/furtive RF access-   422 Credit card holder-   424 Window-   500 Insert/retrofit smart card protector-   550 Page-   552 Opening-   554 Front cover-   556 Second page-   558 Back cover

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the device,showing dual layers of material and RF bonding of the sides.

Smart card holder 100 has interior space 102 which is dimensioned andconfigured to accept a standard size of credit card. Note that there arevarious standard credit card sizes, any may be used: ID-1, ID-000, etc.Interior space 102 is entirely surrounded on both sides and three edgesout of four by the several layers of the invention. A seal or weld 108may be used in order to provide a gapless securing of the edgestogether, or the material of the device may be manufactured in a flattube or the like. One common method of sealing is “dielectric” or “RF”welding, which coincidentally uses the same terms (dielectric and RF) asthose used to describe the material of one of the layers of theinvention. The two usages of the terms should not be confused:dielectric or RF welding is merely a convenient way to secure togethertwo sides having therein a dielectric or RF material.

The first structural or decorative layer 104 may be anything fromalligator skin to plastic, as desired. It may be the inner layer or theouter layer. It may be secured to the other layers of the invention, forexample by welding or adhesive, or it may be unsecured but contained.

Transparent dielectric layer 106 may be a material impervious toRF/electrical transmission. One example of such materials is the classof flexible clear plastic films available in various thicknesses fromless than one mil to considerably thicker materials. Such plastic filmsmay be coated with silver or iridium or similar materials, metallic ornot. A more specific material is CLEAR-SHIELD™ (trademark owner notaffiliated with present applicant) brand transparent RF/electricshielding film, which may be used in 5 mil thickness.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a second embodiment of the device, showing atriple layered construction.

Smart card holder 200 has three layers: first structural or decorativelayer 202, second flexible transparent dielectric layer 206 and a thirdstructural or soft protective layer 208. Note that the numberingconvention used may be varied, as may placement of the layers.

Soft protective layer 208 may be used to protect the appearance ormagnetic stripes on a card, and thus should be on the inner side, muchlike decorative materials should be on the outer side.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a preferred embodiment and bestmode of the invention which may easily be retrofitted to most walletsand which could be used to hold multiple smart cards. Insert/retrofitsmart card protector 500 is designed to hold a plurality of smart cardsin pages such as page 550 or second page 556, etc. Each page may have anopening 552.

Security, in particular blocking of all radio frequency (RF) signalsfrom all directions, is enhanced by the fact that each page covers theopening of the page behind it, and front cover 554 in turn covers theopening 552 on the front page 550. Back cover 558 may have a pocket likeother pages do, or it may be an insert part for placing the devicesecurely into a wallet having small pockets: back cover 558 may beinserted into a small pocket, thus holding the entire device in a walletwhile using up only one pocket of the wallet.

Note that in this embodiment, the device may be protected by the body ofthe wallet it is retrofitted to, thus allowing the elimination of astructural layer. In such embodiments, a single layer construction maybe used: the layer material may be the film sputter coated withsilver/indium/etc to make a flexible dielectric material. Thicker films,such as 5 mil film, may allow a fairly strong construction.

Use of transparent materials allows a user to SEE the card they areabout to remove from the sleeve. This is important as the inventionstructure allows a user to have multiple protected smartcards, unlikethe references cited in the Background, which are individual sleevesstructured on the assumption that users have only a single card andsleeve.

In the presently preferred embodiment and best mode presentlycontemplated for carrying out the invention, the dimensions andconfiguration of TABLE I and TABLE II may be used.

TABLE ONE Length: 3.5 inches Width: 2.25 inches Thickness: 0.125 inchesDielectric material: 5 mil transparent plastic film sputter sprayed withsilver and iridium Layers: 2 or 3 END TABLE ONE

Obviously, this embodiment corresponds in planform and size to apresently common standard credit card size and shape, particularly theinterior space. It is anticipated that such cards will be more numerousthan passports, as many people have no passport while the typicalindividual has several cards: driver's licenses, medical cards, creditcards and so on. Other sizes of credit cards may also be used merely bychanging the dimensions above.

TABLE TWO shows an alternative embodiment suitable for passport use.

TABLE TWO Length: 5 inches Width: 3.5 inches Thickness: 0.125 inchesDielectric material: 5 mil transparent plastic film sputter sprayed withsilver and iridium Layers: 2 or 3 END TABLE TWO

The disclosure is provided to allow practice of the invention by thoseskilled in the art without undue experimentation, including the bestmode presently contemplated and the presently preferred embodiment.Nothing in this disclosure is to be taken to limit the scope of theinvention, which is susceptible to numerous alterations, equivalents andsubstitutions without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention. The scope of the invention is to be understood from theappended claims.

1. A smart card holder comprising: a body dimensioned and configured tohold a standard size smart card in an interior space, the body havingfirst and second sides having rectangular planforms and four edges, thefirst and second sides joined at a plurality of the edges; the first andsecond sides having first and second layers of material, the first layerbeing a flexible transparent dielectric material covering substantiallythe entire rectangular planform of each side.
 2. The smart card holderof claim 1, wherein the second layer is a decorative material and thefirst layer is disposed adjacent the interior space.
 3. The smart cardholder of claim 1, wherein the second layer is a strong structuralmaterial and the first layer is disposed adjacent the interior space. 4.The smart card holder of claim 1, further comprising a third layer ofmaterial, wherein the third layer is a soft material and the third layeris disposed adjacent the interior space.
 5. The smart card holder ofclaim 1, wherein the first and second layers are joined at a pluralityof edges by RF welding.
 6. The smart card holder of claim 1, wherein thefirst layer is a 5 mil thickness of a plastic film sputter sprayed withsilver and indium.
 7. The smart card holder of claim 1, wherein thefirst and second sides are joined at three edges.
 8. The smart cardholder of claim 1, wherein the body is approximately 3.5 inches by 2.25inches.
 9. A passport holder comprising: a body dimensioned andconfigured to hold a standard size passport in an interior space, thebody having first and second sides having rectangular planforms and fouredges, the first and second sides joined at a plurality of the edges;the first and second sides having first and second layers of material,the first layer being a flexible transparent dielectric materialcovering substantially the entire rectangular planform of each side. 10.The passport holder of claim 9, wherein the second layer is a decorativematerial and the first layer is disposed adjacent the interior space.11. The passport holder of claim 9, wherein the second layer is a strongstructural material and the first layer is disposed adjacent theinterior space.
 12. The passport holder of claim 9, further comprising athird layer of material, wherein the third layer is a soft material andthe third layer is disposed adjacent the interior space.
 13. Thepassport holder of claim 9, wherein the first and second layers arejoined at a plurality of edges by RF welding.
 14. The passport holder ofclaim 9, wherein the first layer is a 5 mil thickness of a plastic filmsputter sprayed with silver and indium.
 15. The passport holder of claim9, wherein the first and second sides are joined at three edges.
 16. Thepassport holder of claim 9, wherein the body is approximately 5 inchesby 3.5 inches.
 17. A smart card holder for use with a wallet having apocket, the holder comprising: at least one page dimensioned andconfigured to hold a standard size smart card in an interior pocket, thepage having first and second sides having rectangular planforms and fouredges, the first and second sides joined at a plurality of the edges andhaving at least one unjoined edge; the first and second sides havingfirst layers of flexible dielectric material covering substantially theentire rectangular planform of each side; and an insert portion attachedto the page, the insert portion dimensioned and configured to beinserted into such wallet pocket.
 18. The smart card holder of claim 17,further comprising: at least a second page dimensioned and configured tohold a standard size smart card in an interior pocket, the second pagehaving first and second sides having rectangular planforms and fouredges, the first and second sides joined at a plurality of the edges;the first and second sides having first layers of flexible transparentdielectric material covering substantially the entire rectangularplanform of each side, the second page attached to the first page. 19.The smart card holder of claim 18, further comprising: a cover sheetattached to the first page, the cover sheet having a first layer offlexible dielectric material, the cover sheet disposed so as to coverthe unjoined edge of the first page.